


Symbols of Christmas

by Chaosreigning



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Language, M/M, Pre-New 52
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 14:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2696213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosreigning/pseuds/Chaosreigning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh my god, pine needles are going to be everywhere for the next month and a half, aren’t they?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Symbols of Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Written one year ago as a gift for Vespertila.

“Oh my god, pine needles are going to be everywhere for the next month and a half, aren’t they?” Tim commented, though his complaint was an amused, half-hearted one. He liked Christmas trees, and hadn’t always gotten one when he was younger – his parents had been away over the holidays more often than not, and often forgot to hire someone to bring in and decorate a tree while they were gone. By the time Tim was ten, and old enough to take care of it himself, he’d seen no real point in it when there was no one to enjoy it: he was out chasing photo ops of Batman and Robin most nights when it would be lit, and spent most of the daylight hours he was home in his room.

Alfred, though, had reminded him just how wonderful they could be. The massive, two-story firs that dominated the Manor’s entrance hall every December – from the first to the thirtieth, without fail – were always wonderfully fragrant and gorgeously decorated with Alfred’s usual impeccable taste, and the more reasonably sized tree in the family’s favorite sitting room was much the same. Between the trees and all Alfred’s baking, most of the Manor smelled like pine and cinnamon, and even now that he had a place of his own, well off Manor property, those scents kind of made Christmas… _Christmas_. So he hadn’t put up much of a fight when Jason had mentioned getting a tree of their own to put up.

“Probably,” Jason confirmed, carelessly brushing needles off his shirt and onto the floor as he stepped back to see. “…That look straight to you?”

Tim considered the tree for a moment.

“I think it’s leaning a little to the side. I’ll get under to adjust the stand if you want to push it upright.”

“I can live with that. You’ll fit better under there anyway, shortstuff.”

“Bite me,” Tim retorted mildly, ducking down to climb beneath the branches.

“Gladly,” Jason answered lazily. After a moment, the tree shifted. “As long as I get to pick the place. I’m thinking that spot just behind your ear that turns you into a shameless slut; you’re fucking gorgeous when you get like that.”

“I think I hate you just a little,” the younger man mused as he worked the stand. “…But yes, fine, you can bite me there.  _After_  the tree is decorated, and oh my god, Jason, don’t you know what straight is? Move it more to the – no, to the right. Your _other_  right. Not that much! Back a little, and – Hold it there, just like that.”

“Jesus Christ but you’re picky,” Jason grouched. Tim hummed noncommittally, fixed the stand, and crawled back out from underneath the tree. A shower of green pine needles accompanied him as he rose. He wrinkled his nose.

“I need to vacuum. How does Alfred do this with two trees every year?”

“Hired help. Also, he’s  _Alfred_. Save the vacuuming for later; let’s get this baby decorated already. I’ve got plans.”

Tim hesitated for a second, then shook his head and headed for the closet where he kept all his cleaning supplies. “You go ahead and get started. This will only take a minute.”

Ignoring the noise of frustration behind him – geez, he even had a trail of pine needles following him! Where did they all  _come_  from, mitosis? – Tim got busy. He’d get the path to the door that they’d taken, too, since he already had the vacuum out; they’d probably trailed in dirt while bringing in the tree. Of course, if he was already doing that much, he may as well just do the whole carpet. It was due to be vacuumed any-

“Hey!”

Jason tugged the handle out of Tim’s hand, not looking at all sorry for unplugging the vacuum on him.

“Later,” he ordered. “Tree now, clean freak later. Much, much later. C’mon, babybird, move it.”

Tim huffed, but let Jason herd him back over to the box of ornaments, tinsel, and other accruements. Seriously, how did Alfred handle it? He’d never seen a mess of pine needles like this around the trees at the Manor, it had always been pretty limited. Or maybe this kind of… needle-shedding wasn’t actually normal? Had they gotten a sick tree or something? He’d call Alfred soon and ask; this was his and Jason’s first real Christmas together, and Tim didn’t want their tree going bald or something before they actually even hit the holiday. That had to be bad luck or something.

“Here,” Jason said, handing Tim a mass of Christmas lights. “Untangle these for me, willya?”

Tim stared at the Gordian knot with vaguely horrified fascination.

“These were  _new_.”

“So?”

“So they weren’t tangled when we bought them.”

“Well, now they are. Now get to work, the lights have to go on first.” Jason picked up the second string of lights and started picking those apart, too. Tim looked down at the mess in his hands and sighed, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned the lump around to find a good starting point.

“ _ **Augh**_ ,” Tim growled with feeling, good ten minutes later. There was just this one last stupid knot, and it just refused to –

“Let me see.”

The knot came free.

One of Tim’s eyebrows twitched. He glared balefully up at his lover. Jason smirked at him and shrugged.

“What can I say? You aren’t the only one that comes apart at my touch, babe.”

“That. Is a  _horrible_  pun. And I definitely think I hate you more than a little.”

“And yet,” Jason replied, amused. Tim sighed and got up to help putting on the lights.

“And yet. Alright, really? The carpet looks like it’s the forest floor, and I just vacuumed! That  _can’t_  be normal.” Tim scowled at the pine needles, bending to remove one that had managed to get into his sock. “I’m calling Alfred. I think we might’ve picked a defective tree.”

As Tim turned away, Jason coughed a laugh and caught the smaller man up in a princess carry.

“You know what?” he decided, ignoring Tim’s indignant squawk at the treatment. “Let’s put the ornaments on later. You need a break.”

“I  _need_  to plug the vacuum back in and call Alfred,” Tim argued, irritated. “My living room is turning green, our Christmas tree is going bald, and how do brand-new, untangled Christmas lights wind up so tangled anyway? What did you even do to that last knot, I tried everything! And  _put me down_!”

“Yeah, you definitely need a break,” Jason mused, heading for the stairs to the bedroom. “Luckily, I know just what to do.”

“At least let me vacuum – !”

Jason bit him.


End file.
